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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 10, 2006Kevin BookoutTerrell EverettKelvin SampsonDALLAS, TEXAS COACH KELVIN SAMPSON: After having been around here for Sunday's game, quite a few times, I can honestly tell you it is a whole lot more fun to be here on Sunday than it is to leave on Friday. But give all the credit to Nebraska. They are boxing one, and their zones didn't allow to us get into a lot of flow. And when we did, we started making shots and getting a little flow. When we weren't making baskets, I thought our defense was pretty good. Then when we started making baskets, I didn't think our defense was very good at all. This game, as I have said many, many, many times, it's a simple game, but we have got to get back to putting both ends together at the same time. Sometimes we play defense. Offense isn't very good. Sometimes our offense is pretty good, then our defense isn't what it should be. We have got to find a way to get back to playing both ends of the court. And getting off to better starts. I am still trying to figure out how to get us off to a better start. Last four, five games, it seems like we're playing uphill too much. And eventually that will get you. It got us tonight. Q. We were just talking yesterday about how great practices have been. You felt like you had the best two practices of the entire season this week. Are you shocked of the result now? KEVIN BOOKOUT: Yes, I am. The way we have been practicing really doesn't emphasize on how we have been playing. The coaches have done an outstanding job of getting us ready. It's just as players we need to take care of business. Q. How are you going to do it? You have got perhaps one game left, unless -- I mean you are running out of time on your career, as is Terrell, so what do you think -- is this perhaps the worst basketball you are playing this year or have you been in these kinds of funks before that you think you can get out of? KEVIN BOOKOUT: We can get out of it. It's just a matter getting our minds right and doing it. We can't sit here and point fingers or nothing. We got to take care of business. Next game, I mean, it could be me and Terrell and Taj's last game. So if you don't get off to a good start, if you don't hit them out first, they are going to be with you all game. Q. You guys have come out on the winning end of all these tight games here down the stretch. What did you think tonight was the difference in another tight one that didn't go your guys' way? KEVIN BOOKOUT: Just didn't make the plays at the end. Those four straight one-point games they won, we always seem to come up with that loose ball or that shot to win the game. This game right here it was their turn and they hit the shot and they made the plays. Q. Terrell, the look in your eyes, are you more hurt, embarrassed, what are your thoughts? TERRELL EVERETT: I can say I am hurt more because I really thought -- I agree with Kevin on our practices and stuff. I thought we would just come out and fight more tonight. I am just -- I don't know. Q. We hear the words "sense of urgency" a lot in sports. It seemed like tonight it may be it wasn't there. Is that fair? KEVIN BOOKOUT: No, it is not, because this program, the Oklahoma basketball program is built on playing hard and tough and competing every possession. That's why I came here was the rough-and-tough attitude Coach Sampson brought into this program. We got great program for us to come out here and lose in the first round, that doesn't go well. We're supposed to win these games. We're supposed to win the Big 12 tournament. That's how we play. Q. What do you think, Coach, did your team lack heart tonight? Or was it just a bad -- I heard you talk about the one-half good and one facet and not the other, but looked like in the second half no stops, they doubled their point total, and you looked like you were going to upset by lack of effort; true or false? COACH KELVIN SAMPSON: Well, I think that the boxing one and the zone has a tendency to get you back on your heels. I don't know, it's just -- tonight was a little bit of an ambush. I didn't see this coming. Texas game, you know, 30-something plus games you are going to lay in the egg occasionally. Texas game -- but tonight was surprising. If we had played this game at 3 o'clock on Monday or 3:30 on Monday or 4 o'clock on Wednesday, I just didn't see this one coming, we're going to have to regroup. But you are right, if we can't find a way to get this turned around, you are right, probably going to have one more game. But if we can get somehow carry over from practice to the game, then this team is capable of getting the tournament and winning. Q. A lot was made of the four-game winning streak with the one-point victories over a quality opponent. Did those victory maybe mask the problems that you guys have been having lately? Have you felt this team has been in sync the last three, four weeks? COACH KELVIN SAMPSON: No, you are probably right. I don't know that we have -- we had a stretch there where we played at Kansas, Baylor at home, at Oklahoma State, can't remember who we played right before that or after, but we had a stretch there where I just thought we were playing well. For this team to win at a high level like we have done a lot this year, we have to be clicking. We don't have -- we're not as quick or as explosive or athletic at the guard position, because you see tonight they were a little bit quicker than we were. And then the junk defenses, they were running, you know, we -- we found stuff that was working against it and was making shots. The offense wasn't the problem. Problem was, like Bob said, we just weren't getting any stops there in the second half. I mean, you have got to find ways to win with defense when -- we beat Oklahoma State at home. We got down by 9. We didn't win the game because -- until we were making shots, we were making stops. We just didn't do that tonight. That's where we're a little bit confusing and confounding. Q. Because of the Texas game first and then this loss, how much damage was done for the NCAA selection? COACH KELVIN SAMPSON: We have to wait and see. You are asking a hypothetical question. I don't have a hypothetical answer. If you ask me something more specific I will answer it though, be glad to. Q. Your team started off the year leading the country in rebounding margin in the last 8 to 10 games. Seems like you have out-rebounded more than you have ever been since you have been coach at Oklahoma. Is that effort or something else that's going on? COACH KELVIN SAMPSON: That's hard to say. I mean if you look at the -- look at the way we started tonight. We were down 7-0, then we come back and we're up 4 at halftime, so we have to out score them 11. Then we come out the second half and you emphasize, you emphasize, talk about, talk about. But we have got to get off to a great start these 4 minutes. We had games where we've been really good at the start of the game. We have had games where we have been really good to start the second half. But looking at the start of the first half and the start of the second half, obviously there's something there that we have got to find a way to correct.
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